The early town of Rat Portage was little more than a small clearing in
the bush, with a
meandering row of shanties along the shoreline. But this rustic little
town was to become
the main object of interest in the Ontario-Manitoba boundary dispute which
lasted from
1870 to 1884. Each province claimed the town as part of their territory.
Both provinces had
jails in the town, and both issued titles to mining claims and timber licenses.
Even though
Rat Portage, Manitoba was incorporated as a municipality in 1882, on September
28,
1883, polling took place here to elect members to the Provincial Legislatures
of both
provinces. Finally, in 1884, the Privy Council of England, to which the
dispute had been
taken, decided in favour of Ontario. It became official in 1889.